Municipal or private water deliver systems usually deliver water from a central location through a distribution network to water customers on a cost per unit of volume basis, most often cost per gallon or cost per liter. In these systems, a water meter is typically placed between a common water supply pipe and a customer property to measure the amount of water flowing from the supply pipe to the customer. In order to bill the customer for water usage, it is necessary to periodically read the meter to determine the amount of usage over a fixed period of time. This process is referred to in the industry as metering or meter reading.
Historically, metering has been a labor intensive process, and due to the manual steps required, one that is prone to error. Some improvements have been made by utilizing automated meter reading (AMR) techniques to capture and transmit meter reading information electronically, such as to a technician with a receiving device near the meter or to another remote location. However, these automated systems still suffer from various shortcomings including limited battery life, limited transmission range, and lack of remote addressability, among others.